Crossroads
by starhamster42
Summary: Just a little Christmasy reflection on my Neopets life; for my guild's writing contest.


"Crossroads" by Starhamster42

**1) NTAG's One-Year Anniversary (from tdyans)   
****2) A Combo ****Battle**** Mirror (from sarakrindel)   
3) Ryshu the Nimmo (from lost_desert_fan)   
****4) A Blue Towel (from amyli_emitar)   
****5) "shining" (from geovii)**

            NEOPIA CENTRAL – The sun had set long ago; a chilly winter breeze whirled flakes

 of downy snow into spirals as it whistled past. Silver moonlight shone on the now-deserted

 sidewalks, making the ice-covered concrete glitter like a slow-moving river.

            The cheerful holiday noise of the crowded Neopian Marketplace had died away, to

 be replaced by that serene, impenetrable silence that always accompanies falling snow.

 Every bush, every tree was dusted with a layer of white; it was indeed a stunning

 Sight.

            Inside a home at the edge of Neopia Central, a fire blazed merrily in a red

 brick fireplace, casting a quivering circle of light to illuminate the small room: a

 colorful Christmas tree, fuzzy red stockings hanging from the mantle, a group of Neopets

 fast asleep upon the floor, and one owner who couldn't sleep.

            The newest issue of the Neopian Times lay open on the carpet, but for once, Jan

 wasn't interested in reading the newest conspiracy theory on **Ryshu**** the Nimmo or tips on**

 how to find a cheap **Combo Battle Mirror. She was not especially looking at anything at the**

 moment, but just thinking and reflecting, as is the habit of many people around the

 holidays.

            By her side, MakiKai snored softly; Jan reached over and adjusted his blanket

 more snugly about his sleeping form. An old memory rose to her mind: their first day

 together in Neopia.

            _The sleeping form of the Zafara stirred in her arms; Jan looked down at her_

_ new pet. "Hey there, little guy," she breathed. The blue-furred creature gazed back at her;_

_ she was struck by those **shining eyes that seemed to take in the entire world at a glance**_

_ and somehow smile at what they saw before them._

_            "My name is Jan. I'm your new owner," the girl said, feeling a bit silly: there_

_ was no way such a young pet could understand her. Or could he? The little Neopet called_

_ MakiKai regarded her calmly, but there was something in his quiet manner that made him_

_ seem to hang onto her every word, each movement. Jan pushed that thought out of her head -_

_ speculating like that was just silly. She knew from experience that there could be only_

_ one thought on the Zafara's mind right now: that essential need of a child to know if he_

_ could trust her or not._

_            The noise and bustle of the Neopian Marketplace surrounded her;_

_ Jan lifted her head and looked around, truly seeing her surroundings for the first_

_ time. In front of the Chocolate Shop, a young Aisha shrieked at her owner, demanding_

_ to go inside. "I wanna candeee!" The owner finally gave up her losing battle with the_

_ spoiled pet in despair and bought the sweet on display._

_            A Jetsam bared its sharp white teeth in a fierce grin as it shoved smaller pets_

_ out of the way and seized a shining sword from the shelf of the __Battle__ Weapons Shop;_

_ its owner cheered loudly from the back as it brought back its prize. "Atta boy, DeathFangz!_

_ With this weapon, we'll be the strongest fighters around. Nobody will beat us - _

nobody_!"_

_            To her left, an Usul emerged from the waters of the Rainbow Pool, sporting a_

_ delicate pair of pink faerie wings. "You look beautiful!" the owner gushed. "You're sure_

_ to win the Beauty Contest now!"_

_            Jan looked back at the plain blue Zafara in her arms, who still seemed to be_

_ waiting for something. For a moment, it seemed the cobblestoned Marketplace paths shifted_

_ beneath the pair's feet; no longer simple streets, the paths now appeared to be a_

_ crossroads. She could follow in the footsteps of the crowds to the Battledome, the stores,_

_ or walk away from it all, but Jan knew that whatever decision she made would affect both_

_ her and the Neopet's lives forever._

_            Neopia is not so different from my real world,__ the girl thought. The_

 same decisions, the same contests for popularity. The same search to be an individual.__

_ "My MakiKai," she whispered. "You may never be the strongest fighter or the most beautiful_

_ faerie, but I'll be proud of you anyway. Be yourself and be happy."_

_            The little Zafara smiled and reached for a strand of her hair, burbling_

_ something unintelligible to her. Jan smiled back and turned her back on the Marketplace,_

_ walking down the path that led away from it all. The future was uncertain, but there was_

_ one thing Jan knew: whatever came next, the two of them would face it together._

            So much had happened since then, Jan thought. Paralleling events in her real

 life at the time, she had walked out into the unknown world, ready to face its challenges.

 She'd felt a special thrill every time she logged on, reentering a huge world that was

 constantly changing, evolving – it was amazing how a simple bunch of pixels could take on

 new life and character in your imagination.

            Yet as entertaining as the idea of taking care of virtual pets and playing games

 had been, it was the people she'd met that had probably made the most effect on her during

 her time here. Jan smiled at the sight of a **blue towel lying on the couch; she'd discovered**

 that more than a few players here actually knew what it meant to her, saw it as something

 more than just a plain grooming item. This cup of tea, that slice of cheese, all brought

 back thousands of memories: conversations on the message boards, chatfights, entire

 personalities of people miles and even continents away that, somehow, came across through

 nothing more than words.

            That turning point, the realization that there were people here who were just

 like her, who shared the same interests and the same struggle to discover their own

 identities, prevented her from leaving; she'd come to know them too well to just walk

 away and never look back. They supported each other through the hard times, shared

 sympathies and shoulders to cry on. They had laughed together during the happy times

 – Jan knew she'd never forget them, ever.

            One part of her mind wondered how she could have been on Neopets for such a

 long time – almost a year and a half, with **NTAG's**** One-Year Anniversary fast approaching.**

Jan had witnessed so many horrible things and learned about sides of people

 she desperately wished she could forget; sometimes it seemed there was no reason to come

 back anymore. Yet another part of her mind reminded her that she wasn't being truthful to

 herself: that every time she had walked away swearing never to return, something

 pulled her back. In the end, it wasn't the games or the pets that did that – it was the

 people.

            There was something truly magical in the fact that bonds so close

 could be forged with people miles and even continents away, friendships formed not through

 appearances and reputations, but through nothing more than simple words. As long as

 there were people like them, Neopia would live on - not in the real world advertising and

 merchandising sense, but in the hearts of its users.

            And so, despite herself, Jan found herself doing something she hadn't done in

 years; she walked to the window and found the Neopian first star, the North Star, the star

 she used to wish on every Christmas as a child. It was to this star she sent her wish,

 knowing that it was nothing more than thought but still feeling it was only right. It was

 her way of paying respects to the people in her life.

            _May you all follow your own paths, and may the friends you find be just as_

_ wonderful as mine._

            And even she looked at the stars, Jan imagined them shifting before her, just

 as the paths in the Marketplace had done so long ago. Each star represented a crossroad

 in someone's life, a streetmap plotted out on an infinite playing field. So many paths

 were there, waiting to be taken - yet if you looked closely, they all connected to each

 other. So many... so many.

            Outside, the snow swirled, piling up in ever-increasing white drifts. Inside,

 the fire shed its last light on a scene forever frozen in time: fuzzy red stockings

 hanging from the mantle of the red brick fireplace, the ornaments quietly twisting and

 gleaming on the Christmas tree, and a group of Neopets with their owner, all fast asleep

 upon the floor. The flames burned lower, licking the wood a final time before going

 out altogether. But the warmth lingered…

            Merry Christmas.


End file.
